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The Association Model: Not a Dead End After All, Says Research

The rise of the ‘individual’, modern consumerism, social media, open-source publishing: all have been cited as reasons why the traditional association model is doomed. It’s a viewpoint which does assume that associations are incapable of self-reform. And yet industry research keeps showing the number of international association meetings going up and up. From Association Meetings International…

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Putting a Price on the Knowledge Imparted at Events and Meetings

Can the knowledge imparted at a congress really be worth close to €1 billion? That’s the claim made by the European Society of Radiology and Vienna Convention Bureau about the European Congress of Radiology held in Vienna earlier this year. What does it say about the way we value knowledge? From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…

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The Watkins Report: City Rankings from Meetings Professionals

The Watkins Report for US and Canadian convention bureaux is published biennially, and Curt Watkins of Watkins Research has been conducting the study for the past 25 years. Here he shares his perspective on how the features planners are seeking in their host destinations have changed over recent decades. From PCMA Convene…

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Dubai: Hosting the Institute of Internal Auditors

Getting the Institute of Internal Auditors to hold its conference in Dubai began with the United Arab Emirates IIA Chapter and the Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme. It helped that the city had hosted the IIA Global Council back in 2014. The four-day 2018 event attracted 3,000 experts from over 100 countries. From Boardroom…

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Trade Associations: Change Drivers, and Good for the Career

Trade associations are a great way to drive change within an industry. Joining one can also have a positive effect on your career. Carlo Zoccali, Account Director at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, and also two term UK Chapter President of the International Live Events Association, says as much. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Attracting Hydrogen Meetings to the Czech Republic

The 7th International Conference on Hydrogen Technologies took place in Prague in July 2017. Work to bring the conference to the Czech Republic capital started as early as 2009. Professor Dr. Ing. Karel Bouzek (above receiving an ambassador award) was the meeting’s local champion, and reflects how it developed after the bid was won. From Boardroom…

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Canada: Four City Destinations and their Ambassadors

Last year Toronto hosted 951 meetings and events that attracted 400,000 delegates and generated $634 million for the local economy. But business events are too often overlooked in the wider accounting of tourism impact across Canada, as are the ambassador programmes that bring in such meetings to Canadian destinations. From BNN Bloomberg…

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GMID: Four Industry Tipping Points

This Global Meetings Industry Day IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer has been reflecting on how the events and meetings industry has been evolving. In a press release marking GMID, Bauer shared four major tipping points that have transformed the sector over the last decade: globalisation, the emergence of innovation hubs, technology, and the TED factor. From BizBash…

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Engaging with the Start-Up Sector at Events

With advances in technology and the rise of crowdfunding platforms, the start-up scene is booming. This has seen many events emerge for those that play in the sector, like 4 Years from Now (4YFN), an initiative from the GSM Association which takes place alongside its flagship Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. From Freeman XP…

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Legacy: The Benefit in Marketing Destinations

A partner of The Iceberg, tmf dialogue marketing has also been looking at issues surrounding legacy. From ambassador programmes, to the way Qatar is becoming a knowledge economy to ease dependence on fossil fuels, to the idea of sponsoring speakers to give talks to the destination community, this is what it has found. From tmf dialogue marketing…

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“Crazy Idea”: Psychotherapy Congress’ Freudian Walk

Sometimes meeting and destination are truly a perfect fit. In 2023 the World Council for Psychotherapy’s World Congress returns to its inaugural venue, the Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna. With the city being the birthplace of Freud himself, the Vienna Convention Bureau suggested the “crazy idea” of a “Freudian walk”. Photo: Gugerell. From PCMA Convene…

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Convening Leaders 2018: Aligning Meetings with Knowledge Hubs

The Iceberg’s very own James Latham presented a session at Convening Leaders 2018 in Nashville called “The Rise of Intellectual Capitalism: The Role of Meetings”. Destinations and conferences which align themselves to knowledge clusters like biotech, fintech or healthcare reap benefits on all sides, he said. Latham was also interviewed by Amanda Marijanovic. From PCMA Convene…

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BestCities Talks Beyond Tourism Benefits in Tokyo

Made up of twelve convention bureaux partnering to help associations achieve success through their events, the BestCities Global Alliance has just run its second BestCities Global Forum in Tokyo. The conference’s four day programme included much talk of the beyond tourism benefits of meetings, including the “Incredible Impacts” grants BestCities has just co-presented. From Boardroom…

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Convention Centres: The Gateway to What Lies Beyond

Today convention centres have to take a broader approach to the meetings sector, offering organisers a gateway to the cities and regions in which they are located. Some are effectively convention bureaux in their own right. Just how the role of major venues is changing is revealed across the thriving Australian scene. From CIM News Magazine…

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Paris: New Venue, New Knowledge

The opening of the new Paris Convention Centre, the largest venue of its kind in Europe, has shone a spotlight on the French capital’s offering for large meetings. The Viparis launch event showcased not just the centre itself, but also some of the wider knowledge economy Paris can bring to the table. From Boardroom…

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Business Events Canada: A Priority Sector Focus

Chantal Sturk-Nadeau is the new head of Business Events Canada, the organisation responsible for meetings industry promotion in the country. During a recent trip to Europe, she shared her vision. BEC has identified seven priority business sectors where Canada holds a competitive advantage and is internationally recognized as a centre of excellence. From Boardroom…

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